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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Tunable reciprocal and nonreciprocal contributions to 1D Coulomb drag

Coulomb drag is a powerful tool to study interactions in coupled low-dimensional systems. Historically, Coulomb drag has been attributed to a frictional force arising from momentum transfer whose direction is dictated by the current flow. In the absence of electron-electron correlations, treating the Coulomb drag circuit as a rectifier of noise fluctuations yields similar conclusions about the reciprocal nature of Coulomb drag. In contrast, recent findings in one-dimensional systems have identified a nonreciprocal contribution to Coulomb drag that is independent of the current flow direction. In this work, we present Coulomb drag measurements between vertically coupled GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wires separated vertically by a hard barrier only 15 nm wide, where both reciprocal and nonreciprocal contributions to the drag signal are observed simultaneously, and whose relative magnitudes are temperature and gate tunable. Our study opens up the possibility of studying the physical mechanisms behind the onset of both Coulomb drag contributions simultaneously in a single device, ultimately leading to a better understanding of Luttinger liquids in multi-channel wires and paving the way for the creation of energy harvesting devices.

Coulomb Drag↗
DOE OSTI2023

Material flow behavior and microstructural refinement of AA6061 alloy during friction extrusion

In this work we used friction extrusion (FE), a solid phase processing technique, to produce dense, fully consolidated 5?mm rods of aluminum alloy 6061 (AA6061). The combination of large shear stresses and high temperatures at the tool-billet interface during extrusion produced equiaxed, dynamically recrystallized grains and finely distributed precipitates. Texture and microstructure evolution during extrusion was investigated in detail using scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulation was performed to study complex material flow during extrusion. Simulation results suggest spiral material flow during extrusion which corroborated experimental results. Advantages of friction extruded microstructure over conventionally extruded counterparts are also explored using flash annealing for solution treatment followed by artificial aging. Mechanical properties of the as-friction extruded, and the artificially aged specimens were evaluated using tensile testing and compared with conventional extruded material properties.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Manufacturing Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) steel plate via cold spray and friction stir processing

Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels, traditionally fabricated by ball milling and conventional powder metallurgy techniques to achieve bulk form, followed by intricate rolling and thermal treatment steps to achieve plate or sheet form. Here, we present a novel processing route that combines cold spray (CS) with friction stir processing (FSP) to manufacture ODS steel plate directly from gas atomization reaction synthesis (GARS)-prepared powder, thus no rolling steps involved. Microstructural and mechanical characterizations were performed to assess the quality and properties of the resulting ODS steel plate. Our findings demonstrate that the slightly porous CS deposited layer was fully consolidated after FSP, yielding a fully dense ODS steel plate that exhibited a favorable tradeoff between strength and ductility upon extraction from the substrate. Furthermore, through microstructural analysis, we revealed the presence of an appreciable density (∼10 22 /m 3 ) of nano-sized oxide particles, with the majority being smaller than 5 nm via the combined CS + FSP fabrication route. This work serves as a first proof-of-concept demonstration of the manufacturing approach described herein, offering a possible alternative route for producing ODS steel plates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Let’s Stick Together: Interplay of Moisture, Particle Size, and Anatomical Fraction in the Flowability of Corn Stover Crumbles

Handling of agricultural waste biomass feedstocks (such as corn stover) is a persistent challenge in the production of biofuels and chemicals at integrated biorefineries. Inconsistent flowability and high feedstock variability creates equipment downtime and processing challenges. This work investigates the influence of anatomical fractionation and moisture content on the bulk solids handling behavior of corn stover crumbles. A combination of rotational shear testing, tribological measurements, and surface and sorption characterization techniques (inverse gas chromatography (IGC), dynamic vapor sorption (DVS), and electron microscopy) were used to evaluate the contributions of particle composition, size, and surface properties to flow behavior. Shear and frictional testing revealed that moisture content has the greatest effect on flowability, significantly increasing unconfined yield strength (ƒ c ) and reducing the flow function coefficient (F F C), regardless of anatomical fraction. While differences in surface energy were observed between fractions, particularly in polar contributions (γ AB ), these did not correspond to meaningful differences in flow behavior. Coarser 6 mm particles exhibited poorer flow performance than 4 mm crumbles, likely due to broader particle size distributions and increased particle interlocking. Taken together, these results suggest that anatomical fractionation provides minimal benefit from a bulk handling perspective. Moisture content and particle size heterogeneity dominate handling behavior, reinforcing the utility of unfractionated corn stover in processing environments. These insights can inform the design of more efficient and reliable feedstock processing systems for agricultural biomass in integrated biorefineries.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Properties of different LLM-105 preparations

LLM-105 (2,6-diamino-3,5-dinitropyrazine-1-oxide) has been prepared at several different size quantities (~10–70 Kg) and not subjected to further purification, such as recrystallization. Chemical and physical properties were compared—small-scale safety testing (impact, friction, ESD), thermal (chemical reactivity, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), one-dimensional time-to-explosion (ODTX)), morphological (particle-size distribution (PSD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD), skeletal density). Each preparation had similar properties to the other preparations except for PSD and PXRD. For PSD, all preparations exhibited a mono-modal distribution with a variation in median values from ~ 40 μm to over 80 μm. All PXRD values indicated the same morphology with minor variations in crystal orientations. Possible polymorphism was also observed in a few cases. SEM images and PXRD indicate all preparations to be diamond-type and X-type crystals with some twinning. Impact, friction, and ESD and thermal sensitivities values are consistent with these type of crystal habits as seen in vast literature studies.

Explosive characterization↗
DOE OSTI2020

Friction in a strongly magnetized neutral plasma

A charged projectile generates an electrostatic wake as it moves through a background plasma. This wake normally gives rise to a drag force that acts antiparallel to the velocity vector of the projectile, and is commonly referred to as the stopping power. A recent theory predicted that an additional component of the friction force that is perpendicular to both the projectile velocity and the Lorentz force arises when a plasma is strongly magnetized. We extend the previous analysis of this transverse friction force, which was based on the one-component plasma model, to treat a two-component charge-neutral electron-ion plasma. The direction and magnitude of the transverse force is found to depend on the projectile speed relative to the electron and ion thermal velocities, and to change sign three times. For projectile speeds below a certain threshold, the transverse force is dominated by collisions with ions, while above this threshold, only electron collisions contribute. Here, the average trajectory of the projectile is significantly altered by the transverse force as it slows.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Microstructure and texture evolution of friction stir lap welded dissimilar multi-aluminum stack

Here this work investigates the microstructural evolution of a dissimilar multiple-aluminum alloy stack (AA7055, AA7055, AA6022) produced by friction stir lap welding (FSLW). A through-thickness analyses of grain orientation map, grain size and distribution, strain distribution, and texture evolution by electron backscattered diffraction-based characterization technique were performed. Two different welding parameters (combination of tool rotation and traverse speed) were used to study the effects of the welding parameters on these microstructural characteristics. The study shows that higher welding speed and higher rotation speed of the FSLW tool yield finer grains. FSLW resulted in shear texture formation in the weld regions due to high welding speeds. This texture development in the nugget zone is consistent with shear deformation, and (111) pole figures show ideal shear texture components. The Stir Zone (SZ) exhibits shear texture (A/A ̅ and B/B ̅ components), consistent with other shear-assisted processes. Recrystallization mechanisms observed are CDRX in SZ and DDRX in TMAZ (Thermo-Mechanically Affected Zone). Interface analysis reveals the presence of oxide layers between different aluminum sheets, affecting joint mechanical performance. The mechanical property of the lap welded joints was presented in terms of microhardness distribution across the weld cross section. Slightly higher hardness in higher speed welding setup was observed throughout the SZ and AA6022 layer, indicating greater grain refinement and uniform grain structure distribution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Molecular transport enhancement in pure metallic carbon nanotube porins

Nanofluidic channels impose extreme confinement on water and ions, giving rise to unusual transport phenomena strongly dependent on the interactions at the channel–wall interface. Yet how the electronic properties of the nanofluidic channels influence transport efficiency remains largely unexplored. Here we measure transport through the inner pores of sub-1 nm metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotube porins. We find that water and proton transport are enhanced in metallic nanotubes over semiconducting nanotubes, whereas ion transport is largely insensitive to the nanotube bandgap value. Molecular simulations using polarizable force fields highlight the contributions of the anisotropic polarizability tensor of the carbon nanotubes to the ion–nanotube interactions and the water friction coefficient. We also describe the origin of the proton transport enhancement in metallic nanotubes using deep neural network molecular dynamics simulations. Finally, these results emphasize the complex role of the electronic properties of nanofluidic channels in modulating transport under extreme nanoscale confinement.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Relation between interfacial shear and friction force in 2D materials

Understanding the interfacial properties between an atomic layer and its substrate is of key interest at both the fundamental and technological levels. From Fermi level pinning to strain engineering and superlubricity, the interaction between a single atomic layer and its substrate governs electronic, mechanical and chemical properties. Here, we measure the hardly accessible interfacial transverse shear modulus of an atomic layer on a substrate. By performing measurements on bulk graphite, and on epitaxial graphene films on SiC with different stacking orders and twisting, as well as in the presence of intercalated hydrogen, we find that the interfacial transverse shear modulus is critically controlled by the stacking order and the atomic layer–substrate interaction. Importantly, we demonstrate that this modulus is a pivotal measurable property to control and predict sliding friction in supported two-dimensional materials. The experiments demonstrate a reciprocal relationship between friction force per unit contact area and interfacial shear modulus. As a result, the same relationship emerges from simulations with simple friction models, where the atomic layer– substrate interaction controls the shear stiffness and therefore the resulting friction dissipation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Investigating electrochemical corrosion at Mg alloy-steel joint interface using scanning electrochemical cell impedance microscopy (SECCIM)

Developing strategies to prevent corrosion at the interface of dissimilar metal alloys is challenging because of the presence of heterogenous distribution of galvanic couples and microstructural features that significantly change the corrosion rate. Devising strategies to mitigate this interfacial corrosion requires quantitative and correlative understanding of its surface electrochemical reaction. In this work, scanning electrochemical cell impedance microscopy (SECCIM) was employed to study location-specific corrosion in the interfacial region of dissimilar alloys, such as AZ31 (magnesium alloy) and DP590 (steel) welded using the Friction-stir Assisted Scribe Technique (FAST) processes. Herein, SECCM and SECCIM were used to perform correlative mapping of the local electrochemical impedance spectroscopic and potentiodynamic polarization to measure the effect of electronic and microstructural changes in the welded interfacial region on corrosion kinetics. Microstructural characterization including scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction was performed to correlate changes in microstructural features and chemistry with the corresponding electronic properties that affect corrosion behavior. The variations in corrosion potential, corrosion current density, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy behavior across the interface provide deeper insights on the interfacial region—which is chemically and microstructurally distinct from both bare AZ31 and DP590 that can help prevent corrosion in dissimilar metal structures.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Useful formulas for non-magnetized electron cooling

Recent success of Low Energy RHIC Electron Cooler (LEReC) opened a road for development of high energy electron coolers based on non-magnetized electron bunches accelerated by RF cavities. Electrons in such coolers can have velocity distribution with various unequal horizontal, vertical and longitudinal velocity spreads. In this paper we revisit a formula of friction force in non-magnetized cooling and derive a number of useful expressions for different limiting cases.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Materials Characterization, Prediction, and Control Project: Characterization of 316L Stainless Steel after Solid Phase Processing using Ultrasonic NDE Method

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory undertook the Materials Characterization, Prediction, and Control Laboratory Directed Research and Development Project to advance understanding of nuclear material processing and enable multifold acceleration in the development and qualification of new material systems produced via advanced manufacturing methods, such as solid phase processing, for use in national security and advanced energy applications (Smith 2021). A motivation of the Materials Characterization, Prediction, and Control Project was to demonstrate ultrasonic testing as a nondestructive evaluation method to complement traditional destructive methods for characterizing material microstructure with emphasis on grain size determination using a method that may have future applications for real-time inline process monitoring. The objective of the work described in this report is to establish the process and an analysis method for measuring grain sizes of polycrystalline metals with ultrafine grains using ultrasonic shear wave backscattering, building on prior studies on coarser-grained material. The work involves five tasks: Measured ultrasonic backscattering experimentally for a series of 316L stainless steel specimens with various grain sizes made by friction stir processing. Calculated ultrasonic backscattering coefficients from experimental data based on a physical measurement model. Measured ground truth grain sizes of the specimens from electron backscatter diffraction grain boundary images using a generalization of the ASTM E112 (ASTM 2021) intercept method. Built a curve of ultrasonic backscattering coefficients versus the ground truth intercept-based grain sizes to determine the correlation between mean grain sizes and ultrasonic measurements. Demonstrated the ability of using the correlation curve to deduce grain sizes with measured ultrasonic backscattering coefficients for a few 316L stainless steel specimens whose grain sizes were unknown beforehand but were targeted to be an extrapolation to larger grain sizes than used to formulate the correlation curves. Experimental procedures and computational algorithms are developed and validated for these tasks. This work establishes an ultrasonic technique for characterizing material microstructure with ultrafine grains that are often resulted by solid-phase processing. The technique is nondestructive, and it has the potential to be used for real time inline process monitoring. This work successfully demonstrates the viability of an ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation method for microstructural characterization of material having ultrafine grain structure (as small as 1?mm) and produced by an advanced manufacturing method. This includes a demonstration of the method to extrapolate to other conditions. While not demonstrated here, the method is expected to be viable for in-line, or near-inline, process monitoring in advanced manufacturing applications with suitable consideration for access of instrumentation to the material being manufactured.

316 L Stainless Steel↗
DOE OSTI2023

Macroscale Superlubricity Induced by MXene/MoS 2 Nanocomposites on Rough Steel Surfaces under High Contact Stresses

Toward the goal of achieving superlubricity, or near-zero friction, in industrially relevant material systems, solution-processed multilayer Ti 3 C 2 T x -MoS 2 blends are spray-coated onto rough 52100-grade steel surfaces as a solid lubricant. The tribological performance was assessed in a ball-on-disk configuration in a unidirectional sliding mode. The test results indicate that Ti 3 C 2 T x -MoS 2 nanocomposites led to superlubricious states, which has hitherto been unreported for both individual pristine materials, MoS 2 and Ti 3 C 2 T x , under macroscale sliding conditions, indicating a synergistic mechanism enabling the superlative performance. Furthermore, the processing, structure, and property correlation were studied to understand the underlying phenomena. Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of an in situ robust tribolayer that was responsible for the performance at high contact pressures (>1.1 GPa) and sliding speeds (0.1 m/s). This report presents the lowest friction obtained by either MoS 2 or MXene or any combination of the two so far.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Combined Experimental and Modeling Approach to Investigate the Performance of Joint Between AZ31 Magnesium and Uncoated DP590 Steel Using Friction Stir-Assisted Scribe Technique

In this study, friction stir assisted scribe technique is used to achieve a viable joint between AZ31 magnesium alloy and uncoated DP590 steel. Here, the mechanical properties and performance of the joint are investigated using finite element modeling and electron microscopy. The joint strength can be ascribed to two factors, the mechanical interlocking and the metallurgical bonding of two materials at their interface. The contribution of both factors is intended, and the metallurgical bonding is studied to understand the basic joining phenomenon.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evolution of microstructure and strength of a high entropy alloy undergoing the strain-induced martensitic transformation

In a recent work, we have reported outstanding strength and work hardening exhibited by a metastable high entropy alloy (HEA), Fe 42 Mn 28 Co 10 Cr 15 Si 5 (in at. %), undergoing the strain-induced martensitic transformation from metastable gamma austenite (γ) to stable epsilon martensite (ε). However, the alloy exhibited poor ductility, which was attributed to the presence of the brittle sigma (σ) phase in its microstructure. The present work reports the evolution of microstructure, strength, and ductility of a similar HEA, Fe 38.5 Mn 20 Co 20 Cr 15 Si 5 Cu 1.5 (in at. %), designed to suppress the formation of σ phase. A cast and then rolled plate of the alloy was processed into four conditions by annealing for 10 and 30 min at 1100 °C and by friction stir processing (FSP) at tool rotation rates of 150 and 400 revolutions per minute (RPM) to facilitate detailed examinations of variable initial grain structures. Neutron diffraction and electron microscopy were employed to characterize the microstructure and texture evolution. The initial materials had variable grain size but nearly 100% γ structure. Diffusionless strain induced γ→ε phase transformation took place under compression with higher rate initially and slower rate at the later stages of deformation, independent on the initial grain size. The transformation facilitated part of plastic strain accommodation and rapid strain hardening owing to a transformation-induced dynamic Hall-Petch-type barrier effect, increase in dislocation density, and texture. Here, the peak strength of nearly 2 GPa was achieved under compression using the structure created by double pass FSP (150 RPM followed by 150 RPM). Remarkably, the tensile elongation exhibited by the alloy was nearly 20% with fracture surfaces featuring a combination of ductile dimples and cleavage.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Degradation of Phonons in Disordered Moiré Superlattices

The elastic collective modes of a moiré superlattice arise not from vibrations of a rigid crystal but from the relative displacement between the constituent layers. Despite their similarity to acoustic phonons, these modes, called phasons, are not protected by any conservation law. Furthermore, we show that disorder in the relative orientation between the layers and thermal fluctuations associated with their sliding motion degrade the propagation of sound in the moiré superlattice. Specifically, the phason modes become overdamped at low energies and acquire a finite gap, which displays a universal dependence on the twist-angle variance. Thus, twist-angle inhomogeneity is manifested not only in the non-interacting electronic structure of moiré systems, but also in their phonon-like modes. More broadly, our results have important implications for the electronic properties of twisted moiré systems that are sensitive to the electron-phonon coupling.

2-dimensional systems↗
DOE OSTI2022

Understanding radiation effects in friction stir welded MA956 using ion irradiation and a rate theory model

We report an outstanding challenge in the manufacturing and joining of oxide dispersion strengthened steels is retaining the nanofeatures in the alloy throughout the fabrication and welding process. MA956 was friction stir welded with two different sets of welding parameters, resulting in a medium and high heat input. After welding, 5 MeV Fe ++ ion irradiations were performed at doses ranging from 50 to 200 dpa in the temperature range of 400 to 500°C. Post-irradiation characterization was performed with scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy to investigate the Y-Al-O dispersoids, voids, and dislocations. After welding, the dispersoid microstructure coarsened, resulting in fewer and larger dispersoids regardless of heat input. After irradiation, the dispersoid behavior in the welded material was sensitive to temperature, exhibiting growth behavior attributed to Ostwald coarsening at 500 °C but a mixture of nucleation and more muted growth at 400 and 450 °C, attributed to competing mechanisms of radiation-enhanced diffusion and Ostwald coarsening. Void swelling correlated to heat input; being more prevalent in the welded conditions occurring at lower doses and in higher values relative to the base material. The low values of swelling despite microstructure coarsening caused by welding demonstrate the excellent swelling resistance of MA956, even after welding with the highest swelling values of 0.5% noted in the stir zone high heat input condition at 450 °C, 200 dpa. The dislocation behavior was inconsistent: the strongest trend was that network density was higher for welded versus base material, and an increase in loop diameter with temperature was observed. A rate theory model based on the observed microstructure suggests at high temperature interstitial loss to sinks was more likely to be dominant compared to mutual annihilation via point defect recombination, because of an increase of the radiation diffusion coefficient with temperature regardless of initial welded microstructure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗